Higala FC kids underdogs vs DBTC

MindanaoToday.com | Higala FC kids underdogs vs DBTC 

By: Jack Biantan

* CdO’s winningest and biggest youth football club, Higala FC and representing Camiguin Misamis Oriental Regional Football Association (CMORFA), will play against Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC) of Central Visayas Region Football Association (CVRFA) in the opener at 3 p.m. of the country’s top youth football tournament at the Dynamic Herb-Borromeo football stadium in Talisay City, Cebu.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Higala FC boys, the winningest and the biggest youth football club in Cagayan de Oro city will be the underdogs when they take on the host team of legendary Cebu coach Glen Ramos in the opening match in the Div. 1-Group B of the country’s top youth football competition at the Dynamic Herb-Borromeo Football stadium in Talisay City, Cebu.

Why underdogs? They will play against a strong host team whose players are mostly or probably all are born on the age cut off date of 2005 while majority of the Higala kids are very young.

Seven of them even played in the recently concluded Northern Mindanao Regional meet in Camiguin representing Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (MOGHS) for Misamis Oriental. The cut off date of birth of the players for the NMRAA is 2006.

Only one of the Higala kids, Charles Sylvan is born on 2005. Higala tried to pick players from other schools or clubs who played in the local elimination to beef them up for this competition but most of them begged of because of academic commitments.

However, despite of these problems, the Higala coaching staff led by head coach Jeremy Jablo and is assistants, Paul  Cabio and Jerney Miaco, are confident that they can pull an upset and even advance to the final four.

“We are prepared, the boys have been training hard and we will give them a good fight,” said head coach Jeremy Jablo.

Leading the Higala kids will be three of their most experienced players in the line-up, James Manuel ‘Hapi’ Alado, Grand Hortilano, and team captain Kinsey Drew ‘Kid’ Yañez, .

Experience does not mean they are old. In fact Alado is only 18, while Hortilano of Abbas Montessori School and  Yañez,  are only 17.

But these three footballers have been playing together for Higala FC since they were in their primary school and even were teammates in the NMRAA elementary football team that competed in the Palaro in Vigan, Ilocos Sur in 2019.

Allado, the ‘spark plug’ of the team, is the key striker and definitely will lead the offense while Hortilano and  Yañez, will start in the middle.

Marjohn Dave Lago of Golden FC will start as goalkeeper while the defenders will Ernest Arthur ‘Atoy’ Sobremisana, Rushed Ian Sabillo, Franklin Bagona Jr., Frankly Ash Diongson.

Supporting the midfielder are Keenan Velez and Dave Manuel Docillo while completing front line is Gian Paulo Llego.

Substitute include goalkeeper Mark Lionel Patriana, Zen Darin Pagasian, Zandrew Nobleza, Karstien Dane Yañez, Jefferson Datahan, Julius Marf Galeon, Jay Vincent Valleser, Dylan Terrence Bacadon, and Jhomar.

CMORFA U19 2022-23 coach Ivan Caiña bids good luck to the CMORFA-Higala FC which is also supported by CMORFA president Mike Batiles. “We are hoping success for the team. We hope that the boys will play well,” he said.

Caiña led the CMORFA select team to the Division 2 title in Zamboanga City in 2022 with five wins and one draw. The victory earned them a slot to the Division 1 in 2023 in Cebu City where they won one match and lost two. They stayed in Division 1 after one team was disqualified for fielding uneligible player.

Panay Region Football Association (PFA) will clash with Zamboanga Del Norte Dipolog FA at 7 p.m. (jackbiantantambok@gmail.com)

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